Don’t force prez hopefuls to declare health status - Prof. Delle

Medical practitioner and politician, Professor Edmund Delle, has said the decision to disclose the medical status of presidential hopefuls should be left to the candidates.

Two of the flagbearers in the 2016 general elections – People’s National Convention’s Dr Edward Mahama and Dr Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress (APC) – have welcomed the idea for candidates to declare their health status ahead of the November polls.

Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, founder of the Progressive People’s Party, was the only candidate to have done that ahead of the 2012 elections.

But Prof Delle, speaking to Class News Tuesday May 10, argued that even though it would be in the interest of presidential candidates to fully disclose their medical reports, none of them should be forced to do so.

“Sticking to the conservative theory, it will not be good for us to know the health of a person and make it public,” he stated.

“But for those who are aiming to be president of Ghana and because of the experience that we have, it is in the interest of the country, we need to encourage them …but it should be left to the individual’s discretion. I don’t think that it will be fair to compel a presidential candidate or any candidate like that to declare their health status. We can only advise and encourage them.”

On the same issue, Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs George Loh, told Class News any attempt to legislate on making health status of presidential hopefuls public, would be misplaced.

“Somebody said he was going to declare his health status, nobody stopped him. I don’t think anybody is stopping anybody, but to legislate it I think we are pushing it a bit too far,” he said.

“If it is a convention you want to develop where presidential candidates want to show that they are 100 per cent fit, so be it, but I don’t think that we should legislate it.

“I think that there are more important things to be worried about. … With the state of our development, I don’t think it is important to go legislating things like health status of a person. If they are willing to do it, so be it, it’s a plus for them, but that does not necessarily have to be legislated.”